About the exhibition

The ninth World Exhibition PRAGA2018 took place from August 15 to 18, 2018, at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, the first Czechoslovak stamps, and the establishment of the Postal Museum. The exhibition was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Miloš Zeman. The exhibition was held under the patronage of the International Federation of Philately (FIP) and with the recognition of the European Federation of Philately (FEPA). For the first time in the history of the Czech Republic, the exhibition was organized by the Union of Czech Philatelists.

Official webpage

About the exhibits

The biggest attraction for philatelists were the competition exhibits, which were brought from 69 countries. A total of 389 exhibits were displayed in an area of approximately 1,500 square meters. Most of the exhibits were in the traditional class (89 exhibits), postal history (113 exhibits), and 116 exhibits in the literature class. The high level of the exhibition is confirmed by the fact that a total of 38 large gold medals and 64 gold medals were awarded. The jury was led by Eliahu Weber from Israel and consisted of 37 members.

The Grand Prix International main prize was awarded to Joseph Hackmey for his exhibit "Classic Switzerland." The Grand Prix National national prize was awarded to Vít Vaníček for his exhibit "Postal History of Czech Lands (from the Beginning until 1867)." Both exhibits received 97 points.

A completely unique set of Mauritius Post Office stamps was exhibited in the court of honor—a total of four copies owned by a Czech investor. These were the 1 and 2 p stamps and the so-called Bombay Letter, which features two 1 p copies. In addition to these, rarities from Bavaria, the Dutch East Indies, and trial prints of the 1861 US issue were also exhibited.

At the end of the exhibition, the 118th FIP board meeting was held.

Evaluation of the exhibition

The exhibition lasted four days and was visited by about 30,000 visitors. It was generally very well received, although a number of collectors had doubts about the concept of holding the World Exhibition in a hotel. Many visitors came to see the courtyard of honor, where real gems were on display. The concept of guided tours for visitors also proved successful and was very well received.

Photo gallery